(Exclusivos live - Photo courtesy Nef)Back about three years ago, my band, ULTRABASTARD!, was playing at Trash Bar in Brooklyn when we noticed these guys up front who were dancing and going nuts to our songs. I remember looking at them funny, because I wasn't sure if they were mocking us or what, as we'd never had a reaction quite like that from total strangers. Turns out, they genuinely loved us and they were all in a band from the Bronx called The Exclusivos.
I checked them out on MySpace and was completely astounded at the completely original, unique songs I heard. They gave me a CD at a later ULTRABASTARD! show and I couldn't stop listening to it. It was just so DIFFERENT. Here's what I wrote for Under the Volcano #93:From the sinister concrete jungle of the Bronx comes what is quite possibly the oddest band I've heard since Arab on Radar - The Exclusivos. Combining Captain Beefheart insanity with arrangements reminiscent of early Fall, these five outsiders contort their way through eight songs that syncopate like the Birthday Party and trip out like some of the funkiest West African Psychedelia to actually make it to the States. Top it all off with a singer that delivers his lyrics with the mind-altered, yet controlled, monotone of Can's Malcolm Mooney and you're left wondering whether your're listening to a band or a music therapy session at Bellevue. I sincerely hope (believe) that this rough, raw recording is just an inkling of what will come in the future. To quote their song 'The Ballad of Fred': 'The lightning's always frightening when it comes before the thunder.' This recording is the lightening.
Unfortunately, some inner turmoil tore the band apart shortly before ULTRABASTARD! was set to play our first show with them. There have been some attempts at getting the band back together, but nothing's been solid as of yet.
And so, I'm proud to announce the second "official" MPAE blog release. These songs were recorded on a Fostex multi-tracker between late '05 and early '06, according to guitarist/keyboardist Nef. Download it and leave comments to let the band know you want them back in action!
ExclusivosDemos MP3
(MPAE)
2009
Tracklist:
(note: songs that are linked can be downloaded as samples)
01. Forces Unknown
02. Drip
03. The Machinist
04. Just a Thought
05. Ballad of Fred
06. Have You
07. Fargunstein
08. Tradition
09. Rage, Hate
10. Sad Ending
11. Changing (My Ways)
12. Untitled (Version 1)
13. Untitled (Version 2)
14. Dead Man's Curve
15. Breaking News
16. The Devils Dogs
Viva Exclusivos! These guys sound like they listened to everything, yet sounded like no one but themselves. When Chuck first played thme for me I told told him that a publication like The Wire should put them on the cover if they knew what was good for. How the hell do they manage to sound like the Fall in 1982, though completely unlike them? How do they manage to combine garage rock and African high life in the same song?
ReplyDeleteThe world NEEDS to hear more from the Exclusivos!!!
September 20, 2009 10:26 PM
Thanks for this and great work!!!!
ReplyDelete-NEF
The band was a series of coincidences and accidents fueled buy our boredom and our common belief that we were better than everyone else in the world. We knew the recognition we desired was inevitable, we were wild, different, and amazing. But things don't always work out the way you want them to. The incarnation of Exclusivos you hear is, sadly gone for good. I hope everyone who views the post takes the time to listen and absorb what was to be "the next..."
ReplyDeleteThank you Chuck.
-Eric
Wow. Just wow. I miss our music.. We really had something there. It was possibly.. too good. If I could only turn back the clock to that time of fantastic creation..
ReplyDeleteAnother thank you! It is perfect, it's an immaculate splicing of a period composed in and of greatness, immortalized.
-John (the FOOL who ended it all)
Hey, I used to play bass in that band. Those were good times. Pretty epic stuff. I do miss it, though. It'd be nice to go back to it.
ReplyDelete